starcraftfandomcom-20200213-history
Viking
The 'A2 ''Viking Armored Mechanical Hybrid'Blizzard Entertainment. ''StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Armory units (in English). 2010. is a terran unit with the ability to transform between a ground unit ("Assault mode") and an air unit ("Fighter mode"). Overview ]] Based heavily on the transformation design of the siege tank, the Viking was designed to be the ultimate anti-air and ground-support weapon system, armed with MT50 Lanzer Torpedoes and twin gatling guns for both respective tasks. A targeting system exists for both, along with displaying height and location. The ability to self-destruct is also present. The arm and leg servos are interchangeable, easing repairs.Blizzard Entertainment. ''StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Armory units (in English). 2010. Bellerephon further expanded the Viking's options through the Phobos-class weapon system—an improved loadout that adds a longer-range anti-air missile and an improved gatling cannon increased range in ground assaults. Enlightened Dynamics also developed Ripwave missiles for the hybrid.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Armory upgrades (in English). 2010. In its aerial mode, Vikings are classified as air superiority fighters. The walker mode was considered more important.Gameplay Overview. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2010-11-29 They can be paired with AH/G-24 Banshees for operations as air cavalry.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Ghost of a Chance (in English). 2010-07-27. While the Viking's versatility is its greatest asset, it is also one of its drawbacks. Few pilots are able to handle both combat modes and the majority of Viking pilots are killed in their first battle (the term "cherry" is used for Viking pilots who have yet to carry out a transformation). Those who survive however, become amongst the most skilled pilots. The elite few who make it through training are so deadly that their names are well-known by both allies and enemies across the Koprulu Sector. Viking pilots are equipped with helmets with visors that lower when they take their vehicles into the air.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard) (in English). July 27, 2010 However, regardless of whatever advantages the visor might bring, it is still possible to fly a Viking without one. History The revealed weaknesses in terran anti-air capability. Wraith combat fighters and valkyrie missile frigates proved to be an unwieldy combination against agile zerg airborne organisms. In addition, ground-based anti-air support from goliath assault walkers was too limited in its mobility: all too often airborne attackers would simply move out of the goliath's range. In the aftermath of the war, terran weapon technicians proposed a radical new concept to resolve both of these problems; an armored vehicle with the ability to change its combat role from an assault walker to an air-superiority fighter, enabling it to switch smoothly to fulfill tactical needs in a developing battle. The WyrmFurman, Simon (w), Jesse Elliott (p, i). "Heavy Armor, part 2." In StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 2 (paperback binding), pp. 5-25. Tokyopop, January 1, 2009. ISBN 1427-80831-7. was an early design.Gerrold, David (w), Fernando Heinz Furukawa (p, i). StarCraft: Ghost Academy: Volume 2 (paperback binding). Tokyopop, August 10, 2010. ISBN 978-1427-81613-9. It was quickly succeeded by the Viking, which had more armor, more options and a faster response time. A Viking was showcased at Ursa in 2502,April 6, 2010. "Timeline". StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils. Simon & Schuster (Pocket Star). pp. 311 - 323. ISBN 978-1416-55084-6. where one single-handedly destroyed a military base.Furman, Simon and Jesse Elliott. "Heavy Armor, part 1." In StarCraft: Frontline: Volume 1, pp. 140–163. Tokyopop, August 1, 2008. ISBN 1427-80721-3. Final field testing of the Viking was carried out at .Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Engine of Destruction (in English). 2010-07-27. Game Unit |gun1name=Lanzer torpedoes |gun1strength=10 (+4 vs armored) |gun1attacks=2 |gun1ground= |gun1air=X |gun1cool=2 |gun1range=9 |gun1upgrd=+1/+1 vs armored |gun2name=Twin gatling cannon |gun2strength=12 |gun2attacks= |gun2ground=X |gun2air= |gun2cool=1 |gun2range=6 |gun2upgrd=+1 |addons= |evolvesto= |produce= |allows= |research= |ability= |priority=20 |killscore=400 |makescore=200 |lostscore= |notes=Switches between roles. |structure= |hero= |campaign= |npc= |cancel= |nocat= |concatbott= |concattop= }} The Viking is one of the starport's basic production options, and may benefit from the reactor add-on. In air mode, the Viking is a light flyer with a very long range anti-air attack. It is good for hit-and-run attacks against slower, higher value air targets. The Viking is less suitable against other light flyers, the phoenix and the ; the former's long range does not fully compensate for the latter two's higher movement speed. On the ground, the Viking behaves much like a more capable, but much more expensive, . The Viking is useful for raiding worker lines, and supporting marines and marauders against colossi. The Viking may be fired on during its transformation sequence. Transformation Upgrades Wings of Liberty Vikings are unlocked by playing either "Safe Haven" or "Haven's Fall", available after Rory Swann called in some favors to get their schematics.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Safe Haven (in English). 2010-07-27.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Mission: Wings of Liberty, Haven's Fall (in English). 2010-07-27. Quotations :See: StarCraft II Viking Quotations Development Karune stated that its ground mode could attack both ground and air units in February 2008Karune. 2008-02-08. StarCraft II Q&A - Batch 29. Battle.net StarCraft II General Discussion Forum. Accessed 2008-02-08. but that ability underwent balance testing and has since been removed.Karune. 2008-02-20. A Question for Karune about the Viking. Battle.net StarCraft II General Discussion Forum. Accessed 2008-02-20. At earlier builds the Viking was built on the factory at ground mode, but needed a Fighter Tech upgrade to enable transforming to air mode.http://www.shacknews.com/screenshots.x?gallery=8051&game_id=4110#img103202 Concept art of the Viking is identical to that of the Wyrm, the Viking's in-universe predecessor effectively being lifted from concepts of its in-universe successor.Viking. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2007-08-10. The icon for this old form can still be found in the map editor.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II Map Editor. (Activision Blizzard) (in English). July 27, 2010 Known Viking Pilots *Captain Jon Dyre *Lieutenant Chet Ward Known Viking Units *Hel's Angels *Sky Fury Squadron Known Viking Variants *Archangel *Sky-Fury Notes *''The Lost Vikings'' is a 1992 Blizzard Entertainment game featuring the adventures of three Vikings. One of the pictures on the official Viking page is labeled "the Lost Vikings".Viking. Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed 2007-08-10. *A mini-game called Lost Viking in which a sole Viking must fight a massive protoss, zerg, and terran air force, including swarm guardians, a carrier, leviathan and terra-tron.Blizzard Entertainment. StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. (Activision Blizzard). PC. Lost Viking (in English). 2010. *Mega Bloks plans to produce a Viking model as part of their StarCraft toy line, set to be released in 2012. The Mega Bloks Viking will be able to transform between modes.SDCC 2011 Blizzard Reveals Mega Bloks Starcraft II Viking Preview, NG4. Accessed on 2011-11-19 References Category: Terran Vehicle Classes Category: Terran starship classes